Weed-destroying machine.



P. J. GANNON.

WEED DESTROYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, i914.

1,152,940. Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEE.T 1.'

COLUMBIA FLANDURAPH CO..WASHINOTON, D. c.

P. J. GANNON.

WEED DESTROYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, 19M.

1,152,940., PatentedSept. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MQ Q V a/QZMMA P. J. GANNON.

WEED DESTROYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. 1914.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

' ammo: v Par/(4.7. alzn/on/ ANOGRAPH c0.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

PATRICK J. GANNON, OF FARMINGTON, MINNESOTA.

WEED-DESTROYIN G MACHINE.

Application fil ed July 28, 1914. Serial No. 853,605.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PATRICK J. GANNoN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Farmington, in the county ofDakota and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Weed- Destroying Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to weed-destroying machines for use on railwaytracks, and its object is to provide a novel and improved machine ofthis kind which scores or marks the weed line, and which destroys theweeds up to the ends of the ties regardless of the fact that the tiesvary in length.

The invention also has for its object to provide a machine of the kindstated which carries the sand, gravel and dirt up the grade toward theties, to reinforce the mud shoulder just where it is necessary and toleave it symmetrical.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in thedetailed description appearing hereinafter, and in order that theinvention may be better understood, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure-1 is a plan view of the apparatus;

7 Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a perspective viewshowing the means for attaching the supporting frame of the apparatus tothe car or other support; Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the lines 44:and 5- 5, respectively, of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view ofthe swinging support of a weeding hoe.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 denotes the platform of anordinary handcar onfiwhich the mechanism is mounted. The mechanism mayalso, if desired, be mounted on a push car, box car, switch engine or onany other rolling stock.

The main supporting frame of the mechanism comprises front and rearmembers 11 i and 12, respectively, which are pivotally connected attheir inner ends to the car or other support 10, to swing vertically.The frame members extend outward from one side of the support, and theyconverge outwardly and are connectedat their outer ends. The entiremechanism is carried by these frame members, and as said members arepivoted to the support 10, the mechanism may be swung upward to comeabove the support when it is not in use," or is being transported to orfrom the place of use. If

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 1915.

the frame members are carried by a handcar, as shown in the drawings,the ends of the sills of the latter, on one side of the car, carrybracket members 13 to which the frame members are pivoted as indicatedThe connecting portion of the frame members 11 and 12 carries a boxing15 which is pivoted at 16 to swing in a horizontal plane, and whichsupports the outer end of the shaft 17 of a rotary cutter-disk 18, thelatter being carried by the outer end of the shaft. This cutter-diskscores or marks the weed line, and it is adjustable for a wider ornarrower weed line.- This adjustment is effected by making the framemembers in telescoping sections,'the sections being fascutter-disk 18may be varied. The cutterdisk, ,when in operation, is oblique to theline of travel, the'depth it cuts being regulated by changing theangle,which is done by swinging the shaft 17 in'a horizontal plane. In orderthat this may be readily done, there is slidably mounted on alongitudinal bar 21 connecting the frame members .11 and 12, a, sleeve22 to which is pivoted at 23to swing in a horizontal plane, aboxing 24through which the intermediate portion of the shaft 17 loosely passes.The shaft 17 extends at an angle to the bar 21, and hence, if the sleeve22 is slid along said bar, it will be obvious that the shaft is swung tochange the angle of the cutter-disk '18. The shaft slides through theboxing 24 and the latter swings about the pivot 23 when the sleeve 22 isshifted. The boxing 15 being also pivotedallows the shaft to be swung asdescribed, the shaft running free in the said boxing and the boxing 24-A hand-lever 25 is connected to the sleeve 22 by a rod 26, whereby saidsleeve is shifted on the bar 21. The hand-lever is carried by the bar 21and is also provided with the usu'allocking means 27. The inner end ofthe shaft 17 is guided in a slot in a curved bar .28 extending betweenthe frame member 11 and a longitudinal bar 29 connecting said framemember and the frame member 12. In order to prevent the shaft 17 fromslipping out of its boxings, its inner end is fitted with a collar 30.

To the rear of the cutter-disk 18 works a weed destroyer and a scraperor slope dresser, the former destroying the weeds inside the weed linemade by the 'cutter disk 18, and the latter carrying the dirt, sand andgravel up the slope to reinforce the mud-shoulder and to obtain theproper sectional contour of the roadbed. The weed destroyer is a smallplow having a mold board 31, a point 32 and a landside 33. To the plowpoint is welded, or otherwise rigidly fastened an elongated weed-cuttingblade 31 which extends obliquely and rearward from the plow point in thedirection of the track. Behind the blade 34 runs an elongated scraper ordresser blade 35, which is also set rearward and oblique.

The supporting frame carries two rearwardly extending and downwardlycurved beams 36 which are fastened to the back of the blade 34", wherebysaid blade and the plow are supported. The scraper blade 35 is pivotedat its inner end, as indicated at 37, to the landside 33 of the plow sothat it may swing in a vertical plane. The longitudinal bar 21 of thesupporting frame is tubular and in its rear end is telescopicallymoi'inted a rearwardly extending bar 38 which has a downward bendterminating-be hind the blade 35, and carrying a chain 39 which isconnected to said. blade. The bar 38 is not fastened to the blade 35,but merely bears against the same intermediate its ends to brace thesame and take up the thrust of the dirt, sand and gravel thereagainst.The bar 38 may be moved forward or rearward as it is telescopicallymounted in the bar 21, and it is held in adjusted position by a pin 39*,the telescoping parts having a series of apertures into a selected oneof which the pin is passed.

The bar 38 carries a hook 10 to which the chain 39 is connected. Byhooking different links of the chain over this hook, vertical adjustmentof the scraper blade 35 is rendered possible, the connection betweensaid blade and the landside 33 of the plow being sufliciently loose topermit this adjustment. The scraper blade can be bent in a horizontalplane, so that its angle to the line of travel may be varied. Thebladewill form either an inclined bank or a curved shoulder, by varying theangle or curvature of the blade to the line of travel, andno ridge isleft at the inner or rear end. The gravel and dirt escape in proportionto the sharpness of the curvatureor angle, the greater the angle orcurvature, the greater the amount of dirt and gravelescaping.

The device for destroying the weeds adjacent to the ends of the tiescomprises a weeding hoe L1 mounted on a shank 12 which is connected to asleeve 13, the latter carrying a clamp at in which the shank is held.The sleeve 13 is rotatably mounted on the longitudinal bar 29 and thehoe 41 is therefore free to swing transversely toward and from the endsof the ties. To the upper end of the hoe shank is connected one end of aspring 45, the other end of which latter is anchored to the supportingframe. This spring yieldingly holds the hoe swung over against the endsof the ties, and if a tie longer than the preceding one is reached, thehOe swings outward to clear the tie. The hoe thus automaticallyaccommodates itself to ties of different lengths and cuts the weedsclose to each tie. The hoe is set at an oblique angle to the line oftravel of the apparatus so that it strikes the end of the tie slantinglyand thus glides past the same.

The beams 36 are carried by a cross bar 46 mounted on the rear ends ofthe longi tudinal bars 21 and 29, and a third longitudinal bar 47. Thecross bar is adjustably secured to these longitudinal bars so that itmay be adjusted transversely to properly locate the plow and itsassociate parts with respect to the cutter disk 18. An adjustableconnection between the beams and the cross bar is also provided so thatthe plow and its associate parts may be spaced more or less rearward ofthe cutter disk. This connec tion is made by providing the beams with aseries of apertures 18 through selected ones of which the fasteningmeans 49 pass.

The plow has a short landside 33, the same being welded under the point32, and twisted until. it is vertical. The moldboard 31 is also small,as all that is required of the plow is to catch the loosened gravel andthrow it up where the scraper blade 35 can reachit. The scraper blade isbolted on the outside of the landside. The outer one of the beams 36curves down back of the moldboard, and is bolted by a. bolt passingthrough said beam and through the moldboard and the blade 34. Thescraper blade 35 has a, vertical series of bolt holes 37 for the bolt37,to permit vertical adjustment of said blade.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for destroying weeds on railway tracks, a travelingsupporting frame, a rotary cutter-disk, a shaft carrying thecutter-disk, a boxing for the shaft pivoted on the supporting frame toallow the shaft to be swung in a horizontal plane to vary the angle ofthe cutter-disk to the line of travel of the apparatus, a longitudinalbar on the supporting frame, a sleeve slidable on said bar, and a boxingpivotally connected to said sleeve, through which last mentioned boxingthe aforesaid shaft loosely passes.

2. In an apparatus for destroying weeds on railway tracks, a travelingsupporting framefa rotary cutter-disk, a shaft carrying at one ofitsends thecutter-disk, a boxing for said end of the shaft pivoted on thesupporting frame to allow the shaft to be swung in a horizontal plane tovary the angle of the cutter-disk to the line of travel of theapparatus, a bar carried by the supporting frame and having a slot inwhich the opposite end of the shaft is supported, a longitudinal bar onthe supporting frame, a sleeve slidable on said longitudinal bar, and aboxing pivotally connected to said sleeve, through which last-mentionedboxing the intermediate portion of the shaft loosely passes. I

3. In an apparatus for destroying weeds on railway tracks, a travelingsupporting frame, a weeding hoe carried by said frame, said hoe having avertical shank which is pivotally supported to swing transversely of thesupporting frame and about an axis which is parallel to the line oftravel of the supporting frame, said hoe being set at an oblique angleto said line of travel, and resilient means for holding the hoe to itswork.

4. In an apparatus for destroying weeds on railway tracks, a travelingsupporting frame, a longitudinal bar on said frame, a sleeve mounted onthe bar to rotate about an axis which is parallel to the line of travelof the supporting frame, a weeding hoe having its shank fastened to thesleeve to permit a swing of the hoe transversely of the line of travelof the supporting frame, said hoe being set at an oblique angle to saidline of travel, and a resilient connection between the hoe shank and thesupporting frame.

5. In an apparatus for destroying weeds on railway tracks, a travelingsupporting frame, an oblique weed cutting blade carried by the frame, anoblique scraper blade running behind the weed cutting blade, andbendable to vary its angle to the line of travel, and means for holdingthe scraper blade in adjusted position. i

6. In an apparatus for destroying weeds on railway tracks, a travelingsupporting frame, an oblique weed cutting blade carried by the frame, anoblique scraper blade running behind the weed cutting blade and bendableto Vary its angle to the line of travel, and a longitudinally adjustablebar carried by the supporting frame, and having a downwardly extendingpart located behind the scraper blade and engageable therewith.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PATRICK J. GANN ON. Witnesses:

A. N. SPRUTE, G. F. AKIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). O.

